Booster cables are versatile. Thank goodness!

Heading up the A9 for a week of R&R at our favourite CC site the weather was dire. Mist and rain and a gusting wind made driving less than pleasant. Going over Drumochter the wind got really bad with some horrible gusts that forced me to reduce speed to about 50 mph.

Then there was a bang and suddenly an excess of ventilation. The Heki-2 roof light had sprung open and was flapping about and likely to detach completely. “Grab the bar and hang on to it,” I yelled at the co-pilot. All 5 foot nothing of her unclipped her seat belt, stood on her seat grabbed the bar and thankfully prevented the lid from detaching and hitting the traffic behind us. We’re both wondering how traffic cops would have treated this incident of travelling without a seat belt!

Luckily there was a layby within about five minutes and we managed to stop there and ease the co-pilot’s muscles and adrenaline. I investigated the reason for the roof light coming open and found to my dismay that on one side the détente for the catch had come away along with a section of the main housing and on the opposite side the securing catch had broken.

My initial thought was that our trip was scrubbed and we’d have to return home but after a few minutes cooling down and rational thinking I cobbled together a hold-down with bungees from the trolley for the cassette attached to the over cab bunk and  the battery booster leads from the prop-up bar attached to the seat belt sockets. This worked just fine, though I found that the red battery lead impinging on my left shoulder wasn’t really all that comfortable, but it did see us through the rest of the trip.

Since arriving home I think I’ve discovered the reason for the failure of the Heki-2. The Heki-2 is rated for 100 kph (about 62 mph) and not a recommended fitting for motor homes like our A/S Ravenna. I was driving at about 50 mph, the wind was gusting 40-50 mph so the wind load was way above the limit.

I’ve been thinking about trying to do a repair, but it would entail gluing and laminating the broken section of housing and fitting a replacement catch to the opposite side. This would leave us with a 62 mph rated Heki-2 and possibly weaker than the original. So, I’m going to see if the insurance will cover, at least in part, a replacement with a Heki-3. Fingers are crossed.

Moral – battery booster leads have more than one use and are worth packing.

Our favourite CC site?  Well it’s suddenly become rather popular and had had “Site Full” over the past few weeks. But it’s in a stunning location and there’s a loose connection with a female sheep!